Casemiro saves wasteful Man Utd but lack of cruelty signals Ronaldo lifeline

Manchester United were reportedly a toxic place for much of last season, with reports of a fractured dressing room, players leaking information to the press and generally poor results.

With that in mind, it's already clear to see the influence of Erik ten Hag since he took over in pre-season, and Saturday's ultimately dramatic 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge showed it in various ways.

But chief among them was the obviously improved spirit that engulfed United. Although there were signs of this throughout the first few months of the season, with the atmosphere and relations between the players on the pitch clearly much better, Casemiro's equalizer showed it in we all understand: a crucial goal at the end of Manchester United.

However, many would say they shouldn't even have found themselves in such a position in the first place, with United struggling to make the most of their earlier dominance.

Of course, this highlighted the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was confirmed as early as Thursday, with Ten Hag excluding him from the squad for refusing to feature against Tottenham and then walking through the tunnel before kick off. .

Although this was just the latest example of Ronaldo's relationship with the club, Ten Hag's determination in his punishment was another display of leadership and sound principles.

Some United fans would say it was an easy decision to make, simply because Ronaldo has regularly looked like a square peg in a round hole this season. Whether it's because of the system he plays in, his own professionalism or his physical form, we can only speculate, but it's hard to say they missed him when he didn't play.

In fact, prior to Saturday, United had a 75% win rate without Ronaldo at the start (eight games) this season, compared to 50% (six games) with him in the line-up. Likewise, they average more goals (1.9, compared to 1.0) without him in the starting XI, although their shots per game are higher when he's been there from the start (19, 2, compared to 14.6).

What makes this even more damning is that four of Ronaldo's departures have come in the Europa League against the likes of Omonia Nicosia and Sheriff. Essentially, United are taking more shots but are less effective despite weaker opposition, adding to concerns about their lack of cohesion with the rest of the squad.

Watching United dominate much of the first half at Stamford Bridge, Ronaldo would have been far from most fans' minds at the start.

Ten Hag's men were exceptional at times in the first half, with the composure provided by Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in midfield helping United regularly slice Chelsea's lines. Jorginho and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were constantly overwhelmed.

It got to the point where Graham Potter was forced into an early change. With around 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Marc Cucurella came off for Mateo Kovacic as Chelsea looked to level the battle in midfield.

The change worked to some extent, with Chelsea almost instantly a greater attacking threat, although it was still United who created the real chances: Marcus Rashford was denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga - having also been thwarted in a previous head-to-head - and Antony cut off a great opportunity at halftime.

Despite the obvious concerns over his wider impact on the team, Ronaldo's slim chance of having any influence at United again this season was probably best summed up by Rashford's opportunities, particularly the former.< /p>

Who can say if Ronaldo would have converted after Kepa, but it was definitely an opening he expected to take.

The lack of ruthlessness in front of goal has been a recurring theme throughout Rashford's United career, and with the often drunk Anthony Martial seemingly unreliable, it's easy to see Ronaldo still chosen.

The odds largely dried up after the interval at Stamford Bridge, particularly for United, with the introduction of Fred by Ten Hag in an attempt to restore midfield superiority, leading to a deal much cagi.

Chelsea improved - they probably couldn't have been more ineffective, to be fair - and gave the Red Devils defense a little more work to do, with their best opener seeing Trevoh Chalobah header against the crossbar at the end of the game.

Then a moment of madness from Scott McTominay seemingly gave Chelsea the win. He pulled Armando Broja to the ground from a corner and a penalty was awarded unsurprisingly, with Jorginho - as he usually does - coolly sweeping home from the spot.

It looked decisive but United salvaged a point just from the death, with Casemiro's brilliant header close to crossing the line as Kepa's fingertips failed to hold it back.

But even though United saved the point, there was still a feeling that they were ruining what could have been when they were dominating in the...